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PSP Review: Gitaroo Man Lives!

14th Nov 2006, 05:33 GMT

While guitars are typically used for entertaining, in U1’s case, they are used to take down the forces of evil. The portable second coming of the highly sought-after Playstation 2 title strays away from simulations and gimmick controllers and serves up nothing but originality and fun and the results are – well, entertaining. Gitaroo Man Lives! by Koei for the PSP allows players to take the legendary Gitaroo Man on the road in a remake of the original 2002 title. The protagonist of the story, U1, is unknowingly the Gitaroo Man until his talking dog, Puma, reveals his hidden powers. This discovery of power comes right on time as not only are strange creatures attacking earth, but trouble is also brewing in distant space and only the power of the Gitaroo can save everyone. Gitaroo Man takes an interesting spin on the music genre, pitting players in audible combat with evil adversaries. The characters’ musical prowess emits attacks, which deplete their opponent’s energy until one is defeated. Each stage offers variations of control schemes depending on whether U1 is evading attacks or dishing out attacks of his own to the tune of genres such as rock, Latin, reggae and more. Evading attacks is only possible if the player can hammer out specific face buttons as they scroll to the middle of the screen to the rhythm of the current song. The other input mechanic makes use of the analog stick in combination with any of the face buttons to make U1 wail on his gitaroo. By playing the gitaroo, depending on the situation, U1 will either attack the enemy or gather energy that is added to his life meter. The main story mode details the story of U1 through 12 different stages, each featuring its own original track. Once players clear through the story mode, a truly painful master difficulty is unlocked and encourages another play through. Depending on the player’s performance, a number of unlockable gallery items and two PSP exclusive multiplayer tracks are also accessible after story mode play. Those who have taken part in U1’s romp on the Playstation 2 will easily notice the minor differences between the console and portable versions. Graphically, the character models are a lot smoother and overall everything is much more crisp in Lives! The lighting effects from attacks, explosions and energy have also received a very beneficial touch-up. The cinemas are untouched and look just as great as ever, bringing Gitaroo Man’s distinct art style intact to the PSP. However, the face button icons scroll in a tad blurry, almost as if the frame rate is lower than most of the games featured on the system (very reminiscent of the early Dance Dance Revolution’s 30 frames per second scroll rates). Also, with the PSP’s wide screen design, the triangle and x button icons that scroll in from the top and bottom of the screen are slightly cut off, giving the player a little bit less of a leeway to dodge those attacks. With those minor setbacks aside, Gitaroo Man Lives! looks slightly better than its predecessor and its vivid colors and design give the title a well-done presentation. Lives! features a wide array of music tracks that put U1 at the center of attention with powerful riffs and killer solos in order to put away your opponents. With a pair of headphones or a quiet room, Gitaroo Man’s music is full of energy and really sets the stage for intense rock battles. The original English voice acting is intact for all of the characters and while it’s pretty hokey most of the time, a few of the characters fit really well – even if their mouths don’t match the dubbing. The game play handles very well thanks to the tighter control of the PSP’s analog nub. I found it to be a lot easier to hold a majority of wavy note patterns that bend to the guitar’s pitch on the PSP. The multiplayer works great and features a new co-op mode where you and a friend (or computer) can take on all-new foes in the two songs made available as PSP exclusives. On the downside, though, Gitaroo Man Lives! isn’t the longest game in the world. In two hours, players should make their way through the story mode. While perfect for short bursts of play or a lengthy trip, it’s up to players to take on the master mode or use the game’s multiplayer – the true game play extenders for the title. Also, as great as Gitaroo Man Lives! is, it’s a title that will no doubt be unable to catch the interest of all players. The cartoony graphics may deceive the lookers, the difficulty may discourage and the music might not be a hit with everyone. However, music game fans will be sucked in for sure and those looking for something a bit different will definitely find charm in the title. With the decision to release Gitaroo Man Lives! on the PSP, the legacy lives on in portable form. Gamers will now get the chance to have the acclaimed title they missed out on without having to pay high eBay prices. With only a few minor gripes, Gitaroo Man Lives! further fuels a strong holiday season for the PSP and gives me even more of a reason to pull it out of the closet and dust it off. Gitaroo Man Lives!, as of Nov. 14, does not have a listed rating by the ESRB. Gitaroo-Man for the PS2 was rated E for Mild Language.

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